Animal Health & Welfare Officer

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Are you interested in monitoring and contributing to the advancement of animal care and treatment as well as the promotion of animal welfare in the Ontario?

If so, please consider this opportunity to play a role in monitoring compliance with Ontario's animal health and welfare regulatory programs.

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About the job

You will:

• conduct inspections at facilities in Ontario, including but not limited to livestock sales, livestock medicines and pound facilities to monitor compliance with animal health and welfare statutes and regulations
• assist producers/owners and facility operators in identifying and assessing animal health and welfare risks
• serve as a technical resource related to the interpretation of animal health and welfare statutes, regulations, codes of practice and standards
• assist in the design and delivery of educational materials to industry stakeholders

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What you bring to the team

Mandatory requirements

• In order to conduct site visits, you must have the ability to regularly travel to locations not accessible by public transportation.

Communication and interpersonal skills:

• You have oral communication skills to explain technical information, regulations, codes of practice and standards to producers/owners and facility operators.
• You have written communication skills to prepare inspection reports, educational materials, project plans, warning letters and various other documents.
• You have interpersonal skills to sustain positive relationships in potentially adversarial and emotional situations.

Influence and persuasion skills:

• You are able to persuade producers/owners and facility operators to adopt and implement appropriate animal health and welfare practices and standards.
• You are able to promote and influence compliance with animal health and welfare regulations.
• You have mediation, conflict resolution and negotiation skills to effectively impact and influence the actions of others when there are differing opinions and conflicting interests.

Analytical and problem-solving skills:

• You have experience conducting inspections, identifying animal health and welfare risks and situations of non-compliance.
• You are able to develop and implement risk management plans or solutions based on identified risks and gain compliance.
• You are able to proactively assess industry needs with respect to existing/emerging animal health and welfare issues.
• You are able to manage complex issues involving multiple regulatory statutes/programs and overlapping authorities.

Technical knowledge:

• You have experience conducting animal health and welfare examinations and assessments.
• You have knowledge of biosecurity practices and acceptable euthanasia methods.
• You have knowledge of the statutes, regulations, codes of practice and standards related to animal health and welfare.
• You have knowledge of animal behaviour and are able to employ appropriate animal handling techniques.

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Additional information:

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Language requirements and assessment:
All external Ontario Public Service (OPS) job ads are posted in English and French. Check the "position(s) language" section at the top of each job ad for the language requirements. For all roles, candidates are assessed in English, the business language of the OPS. If the position is bilingual (English/French), you'll also need to pass a French-language proficiency test.

Exigences en matière de langue et évaluation:
Toutes les offres d'emploi externes de la fonction publique de l'Ontario (FPO) sont affichées en français et en anglais. Consultez la section « Langue du ou des postes » en haut de chaque offre d'emploi pour connaître les exigences linguistiques. Pour tous les postes, les candidats sont évalués en anglais, la langue d'affaires de la FPO. Si le poste est bilingue (anglais/français), vous devrez également passer un test de compétences linguistiques en français.